What happens if Liz Truss resigns today?
Prime Minister Liz Truss has had the worst start to her premiership than any other PM. And the last 48 hours in Westminster have been chaos.
There are rumours that the Liz Truss era is fast approaching its end, and many are plotting to oust her from No 10.
She has only been in the job since September 5.
In that time, the Queen died, Liz Truss crashed the economy, her mini-budget has been ripped up and replaced with policies that she campaigned against during the leadership race, she fired her chancellor and replaced him with a Rishi Sunak supporter, her home secretary resigned and offered up a scathing letter and there were reports of bullying from her cabinet at last night’s Commons vote.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was fired after the mini-budget spooked the financial markets. Many argue that Truss should have gone with him as it was her financial vision as his.
READ – PM in crisis: Suella Braverman quits and voting chaos
How does a Tory leadership election work?
According to the 1922 Committee, an incumbent Tory PM cannot face a confidence vote within their first year on the job. But there is speculation that this rule could be changed.
After that 12-month period, to trigger a contest vote, 15 per cent of Tory MPs would have to submit letters of no confidence to 1922 Committee chair, Sir Graham Brady. If at least 50 per cent of MPs then vote no-confidence in their leader, a leadership election begins.
Tory MPs who want to be in the race for the top job will then seek nominations from their colleagues. There will be a series of ballots which will see all the candidates whittled down to just two. The rank and file of the Conservative party will then choose the winner.
Boris Johnson won the general election in 2019 and although he was ousted and replaced with Truss there is no requirement for the Conservative party to call a general election.
Some MPs are understood to want to avoid putting the vote back to the ordinary members of the party. The Telegraph says some MPs want the parliamentary party to choose Truss’s successor, though others warn that this would require a complicated rule change.
This aligns with newspaper reports that say the Tories want to put Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt in office on a “golden ticket” type deal.
READ – Can Liz Truss save her job?
What happens if Liz Truss resigns today?
If Liz Truss resigns as Conservative leader and Prime Minister today, a leadership contest would begin.
Those wanting to get into No 10 would begin trying to get support for their campaign.
However, it is possible that the Tory parliamentary party could rally around a single candidate for the leadership. This would perhaps be seen as a better option as it will avoid time-wasting.
If Truss does not resign and attempts to cling on to power against the will of MPs and peers, the 1922 Committee could and would likely change the rules to allow an early challenge to her (changing the 12-month rule). This would likely see her removal from both leadership of the party and as prime minister.
Can we have a general election?
Labour and Liberal Democrats are amongst those calling for an early general election. But the government is not legally obliged to hold another general election before January 2025 – surely to the delight of Conservatives as the latest opinion polls suggest the Tories would lose most of their seats.
LIVE BLOG- PM RESIGNS
Cliff Notes – Rashford can prove himself in England – Flick
- Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has urged Marcus Rashford to demonstrate his abilities in England, as he prepares to start against Newcastle following Lamine Yamal’s injury.
- Rashford, who joined Barça on loan from Manchester United, has yet to score but has impressed Flick with his performance and potential in the early stages of the season.
Newcastle-Barcelona: Rashford can prove himself in England – Flick
Sam Marsden
Moises Llorens
Sep 17, 2025, 06:44 PMNEWCASTLE, England — Barcelona coach Hansi Flick challenged Marcus Rashford to prove himself back in England with the forward in line to start Thursday’s Champions League opener against Newcastle United.
Lamine Yamal has been ruled out of the game with a groin injury, paving the way for Rashford to start on the left at St. James’ Park, with Raphinha shifting to the right.
It would be a second successive start for Rashford, who also played from the off against Valencia last weekend, setting up a goal in the 6-0 win.
“We know Lamine is not playing tomorrow, maybe not on Sunday [against Getafe], but we have a strong team,” Flick said in a news conference on Wednesday.
“Also in this position, we have Marcus Rashford in our team and [he was signed for] if someone from the front maybe cannot play, he can play and he showed it also on Sunday. I hope he can show in England the same performance he did on Sunday [against Valencia].”
Rashford joined Barça from Manchester United on loan in the summer and has featured in all four LaLiga matches so far this season, starting two.
Marcus Rashford will have his second successive start for Barcelona vs. Newcastle. George Wood/Getty ImagesHe has yet to open his account for the Spanish champions, but Flick is happy with how he has settled in so far.
“I have followed Marcus since he started at Manchester United,” he said. “I always said the kind of player he is was really unbelievable.
“He has speed, but also in one vs. one situations is really fantastic. And also finishing. What I saw in the first weeks here is really good.
“He also has more potential he can show us. He wants to do this, of course. For me, it’s great to have him on my team.”
Rashford has a good record against Newcastle, scoring nine goals in 15 previous meetings, but he is one of few players in the Barça squad to have faced them.
It’s over 20 years since the two teams met competitively, but Flick says he’s well aware of the atmosphere and challenge which awaits his team in England.
“I have never been here in the stadium but what I heard is it’s one of the best, maybe the best atmosphere here in the Premier League,” the German coach said.
“I expect a strong Newcastle side, a tall team, with high intensity, second balls, vertically they are really good.
“It’s a team built over the last years. Eddie Howe and his staff made a fantastic job.”
– The breakout U21 Champions League players you don’t know?
– Barça to keep waiting for Camp Nou return
– Newcastle vs Barcelona: Kick-off time, how to watch, team news
There are expectations that Barça, beaten semifinalists last year, can go one step better this year.
They have not won the competition since 2015 but defender Andreas Christensen said the players are hungry to take that next step and embracing the pressure.
“There’s always going be pressure when we play, it’s good to have it,” Christensen said. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we want to get back to the situation of last season; take a step further.
“There’s hunger, we really want to get back and have the upside of getting there [to a final]. Maybe we add more pressure to ourselves, but from the outside there is always pressure because of the quality we’ve shown last season. It’s a great opportunity.”
